Dr. Frances Vavrus has been named Co-Director of the University of Minnesota’s Interdisciplinary Center for the Study of Global Change  (ICGC). This is an interdisciplinary and cross-cultural community of faculty and students from across the University who are committed to research, teaching, and collaboration aimed at promoting global change with a focus on the global south.  Several students in the College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) are currently ICGC Fellows, including Chantal Figueroa, Zikani Kaunda,  Masanche Nkhoma, and Abdul Omari.

Dr. Vavrus is an associate professor in the Department of Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development (OLPD) teaching and advising in the comparative and international development education (CIDE) program track. She also serves as OLPD’s Director of Graduate Studies and Interim Department Chair while current Chair Rebecca Ropers-Huilman is in Austria on a Fulbright Scholar award.